Aston Villa forward Cameron Archer is set to leave the club to join Middlesbrough on loan, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Preston loan

Archer enjoyed a positive spell away from Villa Park last season with Championship outfit Preston North End. The 21-year-old netted seven times in 20 appearances under Ryan Lowe, who described the attacker as 'fantastic'.

He is yet to start a Premier League game during the current campaign under former Villa manager Steven Gerrard and new boss Unai Emery, with another temporary exit on the cards.

The Latest: Middlesbrough move imminent

Football Insider reporter Pete O’Rourke shared a story regarding Archer on Wednesday, revealing that there has been a breakthrough in talks with Boro after an agreement was reached.

He added that the forward is on the verge of moving to the Riverside Stadium for the remainder of the season.

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The Verdict: Makes sense

Middlesbrough are a club on the rise under Michael Carrick and are now pushing for promotion to the Premier League.

Archer is at the stage of his career where he needs to be playing first-team football on a regular basis, so you’d expect that he would receive further game-time in the second tier instead of remaining in the Midlands.

Another solid loan spell away from Villa Park may catch the eye of Emery, who could then decide to use him more frequently during his first full season in charge.